Systematic Need Assessment: A Primer

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide information on conducting program-related needs assessment. A step-by-step approach to designing need assessments is given. Attention is directed to the importance of prioritizing needs; a scaling procedure for ensuring prioritization is reviewed; and an example of a need assessment using the scaling technique is presented.A ll human service programs are developed based on the at least implicit assumption of need in the population at risk. Programs will eventually fail or succeed depending on how well they address those needs. Consequently, need assessment is the first step in the program planning cycle and is essential for the effective delivery of services and the efficient allocation of resources. Need assessment, defined by Rossi and Freeman (1982, p. 90) as the "systematic appraisal of type, depth, and scope of problems as perceived by study targets or their advocates," has sporadically been addressed in the counseling literature. Indeed, a review of the past 10 years of this journal located only three articles (MacDevitt & MacDevitt, 1987;Newton, Angle, Schuette, & Ender, 1984;Skible, 1986) specifically addressed to need assessment, perhaps because need assessment has tended to be associated with large community-based programs, such as in mental health and vocational rehabilitation. Need assessment techniques are, of course, equally applicable to such settings as schools and residential halls, indeed virtually any setting where programs could benefit from development of clear goals, documentation of a rationale for existence, and determination of service priorities. Given the importance of need assessment, the purpose of this article is to review basic need assessment techniques, giving particular attention to a method to prioritize needs. PLANNING A NEED ASSESSMENTWhile there are various models of need assessment (MacDevitt & MacDevitt, 1987;Orthner, Smith, & Wright, 1986), need assessment is in fact bound by four general parameters. First, the target, or unit of analysis, must be determined; second, a method to contact the target must be specified; third, some measurement scheme must be developed; and fourth, data must be to be interpreted to decision makers. Experts (Attkisson, Hargreaves, Horowitz, & Sorenson, 1978;Rossi & Freeman, 1982) agree that need assessments are conducted to develop an understanding of the service-related needs of program "stakeholders." In counseling, the most obvious stakeholders are the clients, both actual and potential, of the program. Other stakeholders or study targets are client advocates, administrators, service providers, and program sponsors. The assessment activity can be further defined by determining how the study participants will be contacted.Rossi and Freeman (1982) list three contact methods suitable to soliciting need assessment information. These are key informant, community forum, and survey sampling. The key informant approach uses contacts with leaders and others especially knowledgeable about problems concerning ...

The survey of Need to guidance in high school students of theoretical branches

“…Need assessment methods have been promoted by counseling researchers and practitioners for several decades (Cook, 1989;Erford, 2008). Information gathered through needs assessment may help professional counselors in various specialties to identify critical needs of the populations to whom they provide services.…”

An Integrative Model of Data-Based Decision Making for School Counseling

“…The concept of using data in school counseling practice is not new. Traditionally, school counselors have used needs assessment instruments to gather data from students, parents, and school personnel to identify needed interventions (Cook, 1989) and have used evaluation data to document the effectiveness of specific interventions and programs (Fairchild & Seeley, 1995). More recently, school counselors have been urged to use school data to focus student advo-cacy initiatives (Hayes, Nelson, Tabin, Pearson, & Worthy, 2002) and to use measurable results in the design and improvement of school counseling programs (Johnson & Johnson, 2003).…”

Evaluation Capacity in K-12 School Counseling Programs

“…A detailed review of this literature is beyond the scope of this paper. Briefly these articles can be categorized as: (a) arguments for the conduct of evaluation (e.g., Baker, 1977;Lombana, 1985); (b) how-to articles for a variety of evaluation methodologies (e.g., Cook, 1989, a primer on needs assessments; Miller & Warner, 1975, on conducting single subject research and evaluation); (c) approaches (e.g., Krumboltz, 1974); and (d) examples (e.g., Bruckner & Thompson, 1987). However, most examples are unconnected to evaluation needs in support of CDGC programs and, therefore, are of limited usefulness in this regard.…”